Five by Five
by NerdieGirl26
Summary: Koda's goal in life is to join the BAU and she gets her chance when Hotch hires her to fill Prentiss's spot. She has some interesting circumstances, but she fits right in with the BAU family. What happens when she eventually falls for Reid, and the troubled parts of her life she's tried so hard to hide from come back with a vengeance? Reid/OC
1. 1: First Impressions

Hello lovelies, here we are! Criminal Minds is one of my obsessions and I have had such a need to write a fanfiction for it recently that I decided I couldn't resist, so here it is. This is my first Criminal Minds fic so go easy on me. I'm really excited about this story and about my OC so I hope you like her and the chapter. The first chapter isn't terribly exciting but it gives some decent information about the OC, but the story will begin to pick up next chapter. I'll say it now, though: This story and the OC are a little out of the ordinary for CM fics. I'm just asking you not to knock it immediately because, although a little strange, I think this story could work out really well. I hope you like it, and don't forget to review! Reviews make me happy and keep me writing and they also let me know what you guys think of the story and of Koda so review! Now onwards!

Chapter 1: First Impressions

"What's with the long face, Di?"

The blue-eyed black feline looked down at her food bowl and then back up at her owner expectantly, as if to snub the food sitting in front of her paws. Koda let out a sigh as she picked the small cat up with a startled meow. "You don't like your food, Dinah?" In response, Dinah pushed one of her paws into the human's cheek and mewed loudly. "Blame Chewie, not me. And don't scratch the face that belongs to the hand that feeds you. He was supposed to buy you more food, the good kind, but of course he didn't. It's a wonder that boy gets anything done ever. Go yell at him, not me. Now go eat." She put Dinah back on the linoleum floor and waited for her to begin eating. But the cat only looked at her again, waiting. "Look at Beau! He's eating like a good boy." The mixed breed puppy lifted his head from his bowl briefly to perk his ears up and then continued eating. "Fine, you don't want to eat, take it up with the humans upstairs. I don't have time. You should stop being so finicky and just eat what's in front of you."

After running a quick hand through her hair to push down any frizz, she looked down at herself to make sure she looked presentable in her white blouse and black skinny jeans. She stepped into the black boots she had left by the front door just as she heard footsteps padding down the stairs from the second floor. Koda recognized the soft steps as one of her housemates and sighed, feeling guilty that she had woken her friend up. "Go back to bed, Lena."

The blonde woman stood in the doorway of the kitchen, wearing her t-shirt and penguin pajama pants, and looked at Koda sleepily. "I would if _someone_ wasn't making so much noise." She noticed Koda's attire, strangely formal for five o'clock in the morning, and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a hot date this early in the morning, Dak? I don't think any guy who asks for a date before eight should be allowed to live."

"Maybe I'm not going out with a guy." Lena only rolled her eyes and continued to wait for an explanation. "Somebody fell off the wrong side of the bed. No, I don't have a date. I have that interview."

Lena's face lit up as she remembered Koda saying something about an interview that morning. "Oh yeah, my bad. I didn't know it was so early. God, how are you even alive this early in the morning?"

"I really want this job, no matter what unholy hour I have to get up at." Koda shrugged into the leather jacket she grabbed off the coat hanger by the front door and pulled her hair out from beneath the collar. "Anyway, I should be home in an hour or so. Dinah isn't eating the crap that Matt bought so make sure she eats and punch him for me because he should have remembered to buy the good stuff instead of forgetting and then having to get the stuff she hates. And don't forget to let Beau out when he's done eating because he's still a pup so he can't hold it for too long. Have fun."

With that, she was out the door. Koda walked down the sidewalk to the driveway where she had her Harley Davidson stowed away underneath a cover. Pulling the cover off, she placed her helmet on her head and took off towards Quantico.

~CM~

Aaron Hotchner, commonly referred to as Hotch, sat in his office at the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, looking over the resume and file of a woman who was applying for a position on his team. It had been weeks since Emily Prentiss had been killed and left a hole to fill, and only a short while since they had hired Ashley Seaver, a young graduate from the FBI academy, to temporarily fill the spot. But Seaver was young and inexperienced, and she wasn't enough to give the team what it needed. And so he was looking for someone else to hire, someone who preferably had some experience in profiling and would be beneficial to the team. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to find anyone he thought would work well. He knew the members of his team better than he knew anyone else and he couldn't hire someone that he knew wouldn't mesh with them, with their personalities and who they were. He knew that they would be wary of anyone he hired at first, but eventually they would get over it, just as they had when he had hired Prentiss. But he was also a highly skilled profiler and he knew someone who just would not work well with the team when he saw them. And that was becoming the problem for him. Either someone had the right personality and traits to mesh with everyone but lacked the experience he was looking for, or had the experience but he believed that they would cause a hitch in the team. He was running out of time, though, and he knew he had to hire someone soon.

The woman who was coming in conflicted with him, however. She was young, only 24 years old, but she seemed to be quite a promising up-and-coming FBI agent. That was the problem he saw. She had no experience yet. She had graduated college two years ago and had graduated the FBI academy only a month ago. It was quite a feat, though. After graduating college she had taken a year off and then joined the academy, graduating in just under a year. Even more amazing was that all of her instructors at the academy had given her high marks and praised her thoroughly, stating that she was one of the best trainees they had seen in a long time. Although many of the instructors agreed she had some interesting traits and characteristics that they weren't sure made her suitable for the FBI, they all agreed she was quite an impressive woman. She had graduated high school at the age of 16 and then attended Harvard, and in just the six years she was there she had managed to acquire PhD's in both Criminology and Psychology, as well as another degree that didn't particularly pertain to what he needed. By all means, she appeared to have the talent she required but there were several causes for concern that he could see. One was her past. While it was certainly true that some people in the FBI came from backgrounds that had either involved the FBI or things the FBI would be interested in, as in Morgan's case with his missing cousin, it wasn't always in the FBI's best interest to hire these people because of personal issues the person could bring to the table. Another thing that troubled him was her health. She had an interesting disorder that he could foresee being a problem at some point. Lastly, she had another job that he was certain would be an issue at least once, if not more. But what bothered Hotch the most was not the woman but himself. His brain was clearly and logically telling him to dismiss this woman and continue looking for another person to hire, but something in his gut was telling him to do the interview and hear her out. And if he had learned nothing else in his time as the head of his team at the BAU it was to listen to his gut.

Before he could begin to second guess his gut again, there was a knock at his office door. "Come in."

The door opened and the woman whose picture had just been looking at walked in. As she sat down in the chair across from him, he couldn't help but be partially surprised. He knew from her file that she was 24 and the picture he had been supplied with of her certainly looked like her, but she looked slightly younger in person and for the first time since he had looked at her file it occurred to him how much she reminded him of Spencer Reid, the youngest person to have ever joined the BAU. He wasn't the youngest person on the team now since Seaver had joined but Seaver wasn't as young as Reid had been when he joined. Reid also had the highest IQ on the team and was a certifiable genius with an eidetic memory. This young woman didn't have an eidetic memory nor was she as young as Reid had been but, if he hired her, then she would be the second youngest person to join the BAU. It was hard to tell just from her profile how much of a genius she was, but her qualifications and her age reminded him somewhat of Reid. "Dakota McKee, correct?" When she nodded, he began to introduce himself. "My name is-"

"I know who you are." He felt himself raise his eyebrows in surprise as she interrupted him. This was something new. Most of the people he interviewed went out of their way to appear polite and get on his good side in hopes that it would further persuade him to hire them, but here she was interrupting him as soon as he began talking. He wasn't sure whether to mark that as a pro or con. "I always do my research, and this time is no different. I know who you are, Agent Aaron Hotchner, and I know who the other people on your team are as well." She cleared her throat, as if she was about to launch into a long discussion, as she crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in the chair. Hotch took note of her attire as she got comfortable. She was dressed in what he could only call casual formal wear instead of the usual suit that many of the interviewees he saw wore. "I would tell you all about them but you already know who they are so I don't think that's necessary. Neither is an introduction. I know who you are because it would be foolish to come into a job like this without knowing that kind of information. And judging by the file in your hand that you still have open on your desk you know who I am, otherwise you have closed it when I came in. You know all about who I am, about why I want to join the BAU. And yes, my circumstances are a bit out of the ordinary but I can assure you, Agent Hotchner, that I belong on your team. And I can guarantee that you will hire me, although you might not realize it right this instant. And before you start calling me Miss McKee or some other nonsense, please call me Koda."

"Miss Koda," he began to say, but he noticed how she instantly scrunched her nose. "Just Koda, then? Not a fan of titles?"

She shrugged and shifted her legs so that they were crossed in the other direction. "It's just personal preference, really. I used to have a friend in college who called me Missy Mickey and, well, that got real old real fast. But now I have a grudge against being called a Miss. So, yes, just Koda."

Hotch briefly wondered if she would have a problem being called Agent McKee, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind. He probably wouldn't hire her so he needn't worry about it. He looked down at her file once more before glancing back up at her. "Well, Koda, I will admit that your file is impressive." She looked pleased with herself. "All your instructors for the academy give you nothing but high marks. The majority of what they say about you is praise, though some of them noted that you are quite stubborn and occasionally did things differently from the other students."

"Did Markowski say that?" she scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "That guy had it out for me because I wouldn't let him intimidate me. Also, I'm pretty sure he's prejudiced against female trainees. He was always trying to give me the short end of the deal and telling me I couldn't do things as well as the boys. He tried to one-up me in close combat once, just to prove a point to his class that he was still in charge."

Hotch wasn't surprised that she'd had problems with Markowski. That agent was known for giving his trainees problems, and she hit the nail on the head when she said he had it out for females. Markowski was a classic misogynist. "What did you do?"

The grin on her face was clearly one of pride. "I took him down a couple pegs. Flipped him over my shoulder onto the mat so hard that I heard he had to go to the chiropractor. Safe to say that he didn't bother me with any of his 'anything girls can do guys can do better' attitude for the rest of the time that I had him."

That, however, did pique Hotch's interest somewhat. As big of a jerk Markowski was, he was equally as skilled in combat, particularly close combat. He was known for doing what he had done to Koda: showing an egotistical trainee that they had more to learn by putting them down in a brief spar. Few people had ever beaten him and even fewer had actually injured him. He would have to put a call in to see if Koda's claim was legitimate later. "As I was saying before, you appear to be very talented. But you're wrong about one thing."

"What's that?"

"I have your file, yes, and I have your history. But no matter how detailed they make your life story, it can't tell me why exactly you want to join the BAU."

"Ah. I guess that makes sense. I thought it would be obvious, but I shouldn't assume." Koda ran a hand through her hair as she took a deep breath. Hotch could sense that this was most likely a difficult topic for her to discuss. But if she wanted the job it was something he needed to know. She uncrossed her legs and sat up straight, with a look of determination on her face. She wanted this job more than anything, and she understood bring up things she would rather forget and leave behind was a part of getting it. "My mother died when I was six years old. Well, I say died… But she was murdered, on my birthday no less. And, to put the cherry on top, I got to watch." She tried to keep a straight face, but Hotch could tell this was a hard topic for her to discuss, understandably. "When she heard him breaking in to our house, she hid me in the closet and then I got to watch as he ignored her pleas for him to take whatever he wanted but let her live and shot her. He shot her in the face, and then stabbed her over and over. I watched my mother get murdered, and the guy was never caught. But he apparently was a serial killer and had killed some other people so the BAU stepped in to try and catch him. I remember the police being utterly useless, running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but the BAU did everything they could to try and catch the guy who killed her. And to a six year old who had just lost her mom, besides wanting her to come back, the attempt you guys made at putting that guy in prison was the most important thing to me. Of course, I'm pretty sure you weren't there, but still."

Hotch remembered the case. She was right that he hadn't been a part of the BAU at that time. Rossi had been in charge back then, but he remembered hearing about the case. The Unsub had been on a killing spree up the east coast, and had disappeared not long after a killing in Albany, New York. He had never heard about one of the victim's daughters witnessing the murder of her mother from the closet, though sometimes things like that did happen. "I'm sorry we were never able to catch the man who killed your mother. Is that why you want to join the BAU, to catch the Unsub?" He couldn't allow someone who only had a vendetta to settle to join the team.

"Do I seem that pathetic to you?" she quickly snapped, and then she cringed. Realizing she had just insulted the head of the BAU team, she took a deep breath and sighed. "Sorry, Agent Hotchner. I didn't mean it like that. What I meant is, no, I'm not here just so I can find the bastard who killed my mother. You see, when my mother died I knew that it was wrong. She hadn't died of some natural cause, some illness or something that I could have seen coming. No, some jerkwad, for whatever reason, decided my mother deserved to die and then he took her from me. And I was left with the knowledge that someone had purposefully come into my home with the intent to snuff out my mom's life and ruin mine. And when I realized that I decided that I wanted to do everything I ever could to keep that from happening, to save other people—other little girls like I had been and anyone else—from having to go through what I went through. And honestly, if the police had been useful or if another group of people had taken over trying to find who killed her, I would probably have spent my life trying to become one of them. But the BAU was there, and so here I am. And that is why I want to join the BAU."

Hotch almost wanted to smile. She reminded him a lot of the members of his team and she definitely seemed to have the fighting spirit that he was looking for. But there were still things about her that worried him. "On our cases, we come across a lot of Unsubs who have done horrible things to innocent people, and they take pride and pleasure in those horrible things and in continuing to do them. Will you be able to separate your personal feelings about the man who killed your mother from the Unsubs you would see working with the BAU?"

A look of confusion flashed across her face. "Unsub? I'm sorry, but what's an Unsub?"

"I thought you had done your research?" Hotch wanted to laugh. She had come in there, trying to appear intimidating and powerful, and the entire façade disappeared as soon as she came across something she didn't know.

"I know a lot of things, most things probably, but I'm smart enough and humble enough to admit that I don't know everything. Unlike one of your youngest members, a Mr. Spencer Reid, who really does appear to know _everything_. I do my research, I just know when to stop."

"Either way, the question stands, Koda. Would you be able to separate your personal feelings from your work?"

"Well, Agent Hotchner, let me answer your question with one of my own." Koda leaned back into the chair, crossing her arms across her chest, and raising one of her eyebrows. "When a man named George Foyet killed your wife, did you let your personal feelings against these 'Unsubs' cloud your judgment on the field?" Hotch was speechless. He had never expected this 24 year old woman to bring up something like that. _Maybe I underestimated her._ Sensing that she had proven her point, Koda grinned. "That's what I thought. I have had a long time to deal with my feelings about losing my mother. I can certainly put my personal feelings aside on the field, just as well as you or anyone else can."

Koda happened to look at the clock then, finished making her point. It was roughly 6 AM by then and she had been there for over half an hour. "Now, Agent Hotchner, if you're going to hire me, you should do it soon. And you most certainly are going to hire me because I'm the best offer you're going to get." Hotch paused, waiting for her to continue and explain why exactly he should hire her right now. "It's getting late and, if I know my stuff, your team is going to show up soon. You don't want your team knowing that you're looking to hire someone new."

"How did you come to that conclusion?" She wasn't wrong, as much as that surprised and intrigued Hotch. None of the other potential employees he had interviewed had pointed that out, although they had all come in for early morning or late night interviews for the exact purpose that she had just described. He didn't want his team focusing on the fact that he was hiring someone new and worrying about who the person would be, or trying to figure out who he was hiring so they could have Garcia look into them beforehand. If he was going to hire someone, he was going to do it without their knowing, as much as that bothered him, so that there could be no discussion about it and no worry or input from the team. And so far, Koda McKee was the only person who had seen that.

"As I said, I do my research. I know that one of your team members just died recently." She didn't look pleased about that information and, in truth, she wasn't. It bothered her to know that people died while working for the BAU and that the only reason she was being considered was because someone had been murdered. But this was the only opportunity she had at the moment so she would do whatever it took to seize it. "You hired someone who just graduated from the academy which, I'll admit, is similar to me because I just graduated from the academy myself. And I can tell you think of your team as your family. I can tell you're kind of a no-nonsense, take charge kind of man because you keep your desk organized and in place, but you have two pictures on it that I noticed when I walked in. One of a kid who looks a bit like you so I'm going to assume he's your son and, off topic, he's adorable. And the other is of your team. The fact that a picture of your team is one of the only two pictures on your desk, with the other being of your actual family, tells me that you think of them as family. You also glanced at each picture before starting the interview so I can tell you think of them and probably their opinions very highly, so you wouldn't want to hurt your team by telling them that you have to replace their dead friend so soon after losing her. They're part of your family, and I'm so sorry that you lost a member of it. I want you to know that, when you hire me, I don't plan on replacing her but positions do have to be filled, but you're obviously worried that your team will think that you're replacing her. That's why you asked me to come in as early as I could, so they wouldn't know about the interview. So we should wrap this interview up soon so that I can skedaddle and not rouse suspicion among the masses." And, with that, she knew she had him. Chances were that he hadn't meant to look so impressed by what she said but he did, and she knew no one he had interviewed before her had been this good. Confident that she had the job in the bag, she smiled.

She had skill, Hotch had to admit. Although she had only graduated the academy a month ago, she showed impressive talent and skill for someone who had never actually been in the real field. Her profile of him was rough and could use some work, but it was accurate. Considering that she had only known him for roughly half an hour, he was impressed. Not many people just starting out in the business could do that. He was beginning to seriously consider her for the position, depending on how the rest of the interview went. "I'm impressed, Koda. Not many people your age show the talent and skill that you seem to possess, and all of your instructors from the academy praise your field skills as well as your mental ones. But I'm still not sold." She didn't retort or try to argue, which showed him that she understood just how difficult it was for him to make this decision. It also showed him that she was either mature enough to take negative remarks without becoming defensive or confident enough in her ability to attain this job that she didn't feel the need to argue with him, or possibly both. "After having read through your file, there are a number of concerns I have about hiring you. Among several, one of them, to put it plainly, is your age. You're 24, which would make you the second youngest person to join the BAU. You're also straight out of the academy. Prentiss, the woman whose position you would be filling, had years of experience before joining the BAU. You were in the academy for barely a year and you don't have any experience outside of that. I need someone who knows how to profile and do their job because, in this line of work, we don't have time to baby you and teach you how to do it." He came off sounding slightly harsher about it then he had meant to, but maybe that was for the best. He needed her to understand just how tough this job would be, especially for someone lacking experience. Besides that, he was right. When they were on a case and in the field, neither he nor the rest of the time could afford to worry about her or spend the time making sure she knew what she was doing. He could obviously allow her, or anyone he hired for that matter, the first case or two that they were on to get the hang of things, simply for the fact that this job was vastly different than any other job out there and he couldn't expect anyone to jump right in and be perfect at it, but that was all he could allow. He couldn't knowingly send someone he knew wasn't ready into the field. That would put them in danger as well as him and his team, and that was something he would not do.

Koda nodded in understanding. "I get it. I do. And I understand why my age would be an issue, considering the fact that most people in the FBI are at least ten years older than me. But your Spencer Reid was even younger than I am now when he joined the FBI. And before you say anything, I know that I'm not a genius like him. I'm smarter than your average bear, but my credentials aren't anywhere near as impressive as his. That's not what I'm getting at. But he was even younger than I am and, at that age, he couldn't have had all that much more experience than I have now. It's entirely possible that I'm going to be just as good as he is at this and, hell, I could be even better than him. Just because I'm fresh out of the academy doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing." There was a fiery look in her eyes and Hotch knew she meant every word of what she was saying, and she wasn't just saying it so she could get the job. "I have wanted this job since I was six years old. 18 years, Agent Hotchner, that's how long I've been preparing for this. How many people can you count that have been working towards this for that long? Probably not too many. 18 years has given me plenty of time to read and research and learn how to do this job. That puts me steps, even leaps, above Agent Seaver. So, yes, I am young. Am I going to be perfect at this right off the bat? No, probably not, but I don't think even the _most_ experienced person is when they first come into this. But I am not inexperienced."

She had made some good points. She might not have actual field experience but what she had displayed in this interview and the work she had done at the academy made the argument that she was prepared for a job at the BAU. "What about your other job? I'm sure it's time consuming." Hotch was finding it hard to come up with reasons not to hire her by this point, or at least give her a trial run. But there was still the case of her health and her other job. Extremely unconventional for a BAU agent, Koda was in a band. It wasn't just a band that people have in their garage, either. She had a recording contract and, although he had never heard their music personally outside of the radio, they were fairly popular. He knew Garcia was fond of them. The reason Koda had taken a year off between graduating college and joining the academy was to work on her music with her band. As skilled as Koda seemed with profiling, she had to have time to actually go with them on cases.

"I'm so glad you didn't call it a hobby. I would have had to smack you one." Koda was pleased with herself when he actually smiled, knowing she wasn't serious about hitting him. "You'd be surprised how many people call our band a hobby and not a job. I'd like to see them do what I do. But, either way, I didn't come in here without a plan. The other people in the band, my friends, and the record label know very well what my goal in life is. Do I love singing and being in Iridescence? Of course. But my number one goal has always been to join the BAU and they get that. It's always been either they allow me to do this or they can go find someone to replace me. And I think you'll find that I'm a very hard person to replace, so they decided it was in their best interest to allow me this. Well, the record label did anyway. My friends understand me perfectly and know that this is something I have to do, so they don't mind if we have to work on our music a little less because I'm going to be here. They're all willing to work with me so that I can make this happen. When you hire me, the BAU will officially become my number one priority, I can promise you that. Will there be occasions where I need some time off to work with the band, yeah. But my plan is to spend the first few weeks that I'm here away from any band work, completely devoted to the BAU so that I can prove myself to you and the team. I want this, Agent Hotchner, and I'm willing to do whatever I need to be here."

She certainly seemed determined, he had to give her that. And if she actually followed through on what she said she would do and was honestly good at this job, he couldn't see a reason why he couldn't work with her. But that was only if he decided to hire her and if she was good enough to be a part of the team. "My final concern is your health." That was the only other problem he could see from her file.

Before he could explain what his concern was, she put her hand up. "Let me stop you there," she said, fully aware of what he was going to say. "I've heard it before from basically everyone I have ever talked to." She prepared to launch into a discussion about how she could handle herself and her disorder, something she had done at least three dozen times in her life. "Yes, I have CIPA. I'm sure my file has told you all about it. Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis. No, I can't feel pain and I can't sweat. Honestly, it's a pain in the ass, or it would be if I knew what pain felt like. But I don't. I was born with it, and I've done my research and I know how to take care of myself. Do you know how many babies die because of CIPA? Or how many people die when they're children or teenagers because of it?" She waited, but he had no idea. "Let's just say that I'm one of the very, extremely few people in America who have a documented case of it. What that should tell you is that I know how to survive. I'm aware that being a part of the BAU is slightly more risky when it comes to my CIPA than being a singer in a band, but I've been dealing with this my entire life. I know how far I can go and I know what I can and can't do. I won't go into specific details because I'm sure you don't need to know everything, or even want to. And I'm sure my file goes into it anyway. I know how to take care of this, and if you want I can give you a list of precautions I have to take everyday to keep myself alive. When you hire me, that is. But just because I was born with a disorder where I can't feel physical pain doesn't mean I won't kick ass at this job or that I'm any less qualified for it. I survived the academy, after all, and, if anything, I had to work harder than a lot of the other trainees because the instructors were always trying to baby me so I wouldn't die on their watch."

Koda glanced at the clock one last time and noticed it was nearing 6:30 AM. She knew Hotch had run out of things to ask her about and it was time she took her leave. She stood up without waiting for his dismissal. When he looked at her, confused, she shrugged. "I'm going to scram now so that you don't have to explain things to your team, because I'm sure they should be here any minute now. I'll wait for your call later because, let's face it, I'm the best you're going to get and you are going to call me, whether you realize it right now or not."

Hotch stood up, shaking her hand briefly. "I can't guarantee that I'll call you, Koda, but I can promise to give it some thought. This was a very interesting interview. Thank you for coming, and for coming in so early."

She beamed a smile at him. "It was nothing. Which you should also note because I'll be here bright and early and have no problem doing it." He couldn't help but laugh at her last self-advert. "Thanks for seeing me. I'll hear from you later." With that, she opened his office door and walked out.

Koda felt good about her interview as she walked towards the elevator. _I hope I didn't come off too rude or snarky or something_. Her mind was busy replaying the interview as she pressed the button for one of the two elevators, trying to think of anything that she could have done or said wrong.

Both elevators dinged at the same time and she walked into the one on her right, just as three people walked out of the one on the left. "Do you guys want to get something to drink tonight?" Derek Morgan was asking Reid and Garcia as he led the way off the elevator.

Garcia instantly agreed and grinned. "Absolutely. We haven't been out in a little while and I don't have plans. You in, Boy Genius?" She turned her head to look at the person who was getting on the other elevator and scrunched her nose. The woman didn't look at Garcia, but the blonde could swear there was something familiar about her. Unable to pinpoint what it was before the doors closed, Garcia turned back to her friends and walked into the BAU office with them, ready to start their day.

~CM~

"What are we gonna watch tonight?" Lena asked her friends as she sat on the couch in the living room.

Koda walked in behind her, a cup of apple juice in one hand and a puppy following at her feet, and took a seat on the loveseat next to Yukiko, one of her bandmates. "Doctor Who or Buffy."

Yukiko nudged Koda with her elbow. "Why do you get to pick?"

"Because I got a new job so we should celebrate with my choice."

Liam scoffed as he and Matt joined the girls. "Except you haven't officially gotten the job yet, Dak."

"No," Koda admitted, but the look on her face was defiant. "But I will. Anytime now."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the phone rang on the end table by the couch. Matt picked it up and answered, although he handed it to Koda a few seconds later. "It's for you."

"This is Koda," she answered.

"Hello again, Koda," a familiar male voice responded. "This is Agent Hotchner from the BAU."

She gave her friends a grin as she continued to talk. "I take it you're calling me to tell me that I was right and I'm the best offer you're going to get, and that you want to hire me immediately."

"Fortunately for your ego, I am." Hotch had to hold the phone away from his ear, on the other end at the BAU, as Koda squealed in delight. "Koda Mckee, I am happy to inform you that we are giving you the position."

"Thank you, Agent Hotchner. You don't know what this means to me." She was practically jumping up and down in her seat, her excitement boiling over. "When do I start?"

"We're leaving tonight for a case and probably won't be home for a few days. It would be best if you could start on Monday."

"Absolutely. See you first thing Monday morning!" She hung up the phone and tossed it back to Matt, who hung it back up on the receiver. "Tonight, we celebrate! Now let's watch some Buffy!"

* * *

Like I said, Koda is a little unconvetional for an OC and this story will be a bit different from other CM fics out there. But I'm really excited for it and I hope you guys like it :) Don't forget to review!


	2. 2: I Am Not a Pop Star

Hello my lovelies! Sorry it's been so freaking long since I updated. I told myself I wouldn't do that and then I did and I hate myself. Well, I don't hate myself, not really. I have good reasons. My laptop hates me with a burning passion and every time I plan on getting something done it decides to be a giant pain in the ass and not work properly and I don't have a working desktop, which I need to finish saving money for so I can buy one and play games on it. And then my mom had back surgery so I've been helping her recover and I've been helping her around the house so I haven't had much time for anything else. And then on top of that, I apparently fractured a bone in my foot so now I'm in a boot and I've been sleeping a lot because it hurts like a bitch. I'm also considering starting an original novel (the whole idea is so intimidating I don't know if I'll actually ever do anything with it) so I've been trying to put together some ideas for that but we'll see where that goes. Anyway, I changed the rating from M to T and I'm back and ready for action. This chapter is a bit more action-y and then we'll start getting into the good stuff starting next chapter, or maybe the chapter after that. And, before I jump into the chapter right away, I would like to thank FirefliesFlash for all her help with this and for being an awesome friend and for not getting mad when I disappeared for like a month because life decided to kick it into high gear and my laptop decided to kick it into low gear. I adore her and her Criminal Minds fic, Music and the Genius, is pure gold. Anyway, don't forget to review!

Chapter 2: I Am Not a Pop Star

Monday morning couldn't come fast enough for Koda, who showed up bright and early to her new job. Hotch, who had forgotten to mention to her when he had called to hire her that she should show up before the rest of the team, was pleasantly surprised to see her already waiting in the parking lot when he arrived that morning. Instead of a car, she was standing next to a dark metallic blue Harley Davidson motorcycle with her cellphone in her hands and a black helmet with purple detailing under her arm. He was more surprised at the fact that she had beaten him to work than at the fact that she drove a motorcycle. What kind of vehicle she drove wasn't something he had been wondering about, but it seemed almost obvious now that he was looking at her with it.

Koda looked up as he pulled into his parking spot. She waited until he had gotten out of the car to approach him, a large smile on her small face. "Good morning, Agent Hotchner."

She was finding it hard to keep how excited she was contained and Hotch found himself beginning to smile as well. "Good morning, McKee," he greeted her in response.

Her nose scrunched uncomfortably. "Are last names a thing here? Because that's going to take some getting used to."

"Unfortunately for you, apparently, yes," Hotch began as, together, they walked into the building and got into the elevator. "We usually use our last names to refer to each other. Everyone calls me Hotch, so you don't have to refer to me as Agent Hotchner. I know during the interview you said you did your research on everyone here, but we should recap before you meet them, along with a few other notes I have before you begin."

"Sure," Koda agreed, eager to get started. The elevator dinged their arrival at their floor and they stepped off the lift. As they walked through the glass double doors, she took note of the number of desks in the center of the room. "Where will I be sitting?"

"Behind Reid." Hotch stopped long enough to point out which desk that was so she could put her helmet down on it. Once she was done, he led her into his office. Once she had sat down in the chair across from him, he looked at her. He hadn't seen her since the interview and he was wondering what the team would think of her. She was certainly different from the rest of the team, with her side job as a lead singer in a band and her CIPA disorder that caused her not to feel any pain, but she stood out slightly in her appearance as well. Her hair, which fell slightly past her shoulders, was a bright cherry red color and she had dark brown hair coming in at her hairline which, aside from the color of the red, made it obvious that she dyed her hair such a bright color. Her eyes, a pale blue-grey color, stuck out against her pale Irish skin tone and her freckles. There was also a piercing in the right side of her nose, as well tattoos of words on the inside of both her wrists, though he wasn't sure what they said. As for her attire, she had dressed casually but still somewhat professionally, similar to how she had looked during the interview, in a plain black t-shirt and jeans with black boots. While it could certainly be said that no one he had ever hired in the BAU had fit a cookie-cutter professional build, he had never hired someone like her before. But that was also one of the reasons why he _had_ hired her. The demands of working at a place like the BAU called for unique people and she had given him the gut feeling that she would be able to rise to the occasion. He only hoped the rest of the team would come to feel the same way.

"So you said you wanted to do a recap thing and mention a few things?"

"Yes, right," Hotch nodded, coming back to attention. "As the leader of the team, I take charge on any cases in the field. You, and everyone else, reports back to me and I make the final decision on what we do. The other alternative is if Erin Strauss joins us on a case for whatever reason. She outranks me so we would listen to her if she were there, naturally."

"So we report to you, and you report to her, basically." Like she had done with everyone else on the team, Koda had looked into this Erin Strauss person. What she had gathered was that Strauss was a no nonsense sort of person.

"Exactly." Although he knew that Koda had looked into all the people he was talking about, he was pleased that she appeared interested in what he had to say and didn't look bored or try to stop him to say that she knew all of it already. "David Rossi is our other senior agent, which puts him on par with me. If I can't be on a case in the field, then he's in charge and the same would apply for him that it does for me." She was nodding thoughtfully as he discussed the different people on the team. "Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid are the equivalent to you, a Special Agent. You'll work side by side along with them, and the rest of us, to figure out who the Unsub is and catch them. Ashley Seaver is a special case, as she's also a part of the team to fill the empty spot, and you have been hired to fill her temporary position. But, while she's with us, she is also a Special Agent that you'll be working with. Lastly, Penelope Garcia is our Technical Analyst. She doesn't go out into the field very often and usually will stay here, where she has full access to her computers, but she's incredibly smart and talented when it comes to technology. We did have another team member, Jennifer Jareau, but she recently got promoted to the Pentagon so she is no longer with us."

"And let me guess," Koda said with a sigh once he was done going through the list of people, "they're all going to hate me for a few weeks, right?"

"Well, I wouldn't say they're going to hate you. But one or two of them might have a slight dislike of you for awhile." He had a hunch that it would mostly be Derek who refused to accept her place on the team for a few days. Seaver would just be glad that she wasn't the only new person on the team and Reid would be logical about it and realize it would be the right thing to do, although he might be wary of Koda for a little bit. Garcia wouldn't be okay with it until she could run her full-scale background check, but after that she would let it go. As for Rossi, Hotch had already told him about all of it. Rossi thought it was a little strange that he would be working with a victim from a case he had worked 18 years ago, but he accepted Hotch's decision.

Deciding to change the topic, he picked up a small pile of files off his desk and handed them to Koda, who looked at him with a partially confused expression. She had an idea of what he was going to say, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions in case it wasn't. "The team is going to be leaving on a case today that will probably stretch over the next day or two. But, as much as I'm sure you would like to be on that case-"

"You want me to hang back and go over some of your other cases first," she finished the sentence for him. He opened his mouth to apologize but she put her hand up to stop him. "It's fine, Agent…" She started to call him Agent Hotchner but the way he raised his eyebrow stopped her. She remembered what he had said before about last names and had to laugh at herself for a second. "Hotch. It's fine. I get it. It's like doing homework before getting to play video games."

"I've never had anyone look at it that way before," Hotch had to admit. A part of him was relieved she didn't put up a fight about hanging back to go over a couple previous cases. It meant that she was patient but also that she didn't mind doing the more boring work that was always inevitably a part of their job.

Koda shrugged as she flipped through the files in her hand, glancing at them. "What can I say? I'm a geek." The brief thought that she would get along well with Reid passed through Hotch's mind. "So, if I finish going through these _thoroughly_, I can come on the next case?"

The look on her face reminded him of a kid asking for a toy if they finished their chores. Since she had already proven she had some skill in profiling during her interview and also because he was going to tell her that before she had asked it anyway, he agreed. "Yes."

She gave a small squeal and then, realizing that a squeal wasn't entirely professional, she cleared her throat and smiled. "Of course, you realize that I can read 4,000 words a minute so I'll have these done before the end of the day."

"I figured as much," Hotch said with a smile. Glancing at the clock, he looked serious once more. "The rest of the team should be here soon."

"Before they get here," Koda started to say, stopping him before he could get up. "I would appreciate if you could hold off on telling them about my CIPA right away." Hotch relaxed, having wondered when she might bring that up. "Even if they know who I am, the fact that I have CIPA isn't something that I've made public so no one really knows about it. But what usually happens when people find out that I can't feel pain is they start to baby me and try to keep me from doing anything because they're worried that I'll get hurt, which is really annoying in any situation. But I don't want everyone else to think I'm weak or that I can't take care of myself before they get to know me, especially since they're probably going to be against me joining for the most part as it is. I mean, I'll tell them eventually, but until they're comfortable with me being on the team I would rather they not know."

Her request was understandable. If she turned out to be really good at this job, that was what was important. She had said that she could take care of her CIPA and, for her to have lived 24 years without any major injuries, she obviously had to be able to. And he knew as well as she did that if the team found out about her condition before they got to know her and see what she could do, that would hinder any relationship they would be able to form and would cause the rest of the team to be constantly worried about her when they wouldn't need to be. "I don't have a problem keeping it from them until you feel ready to tell them, but you're going to have to talk to Garcia about it as well. I can guarantee, without a doubt, that as soon as we introduce you to the rest of the team she is going to go back to her computers and run a background check on you." The look on Koda's face was only partially shocked, so she must have assumed something like that would happen. "Obviously, your CIPA is going to show up on it, so you'll have to convince her to keep it to herself. I could talk to her if you want, because I agree that keeping this from the team for a little bit is in our best interest."

Koda shook her head as she stood up from her chair, with Hotch following a moment later. "Thanks, but I can handle it. They're going to have to get used to me at some point. And if I send the boss to fix my problem, then no one is going to take me seriously."

Hotch hadn't actually meant it when he said he would talk to Garcia for her. He had only offered to see what her response would be, and he nodded in approval.

From the office, he could see his team starting to arrive. Koda had noticed as well and, although she gave him a smile, he could tell from the way she was gripping the files in her hands that she was tense. He waited a few minutes until he was sure that everyone was there and then put a hand on Koda's shoulder. "Wait here for a moment so that I can warn them before I introduce you." With that said, Hotch opened his office door and stepped out, leaving the door open only partially behind him so that Koda could come out when he called for her.

"Good morning, Hotch!" Garcia beamed, her smile even brighter than the sunshine yellow dress she was wearing, if that was possible.

Reid sat down at his desk as Morgan stopped his conversation with Seaver to grin at Hotch. "So, where we going today, boss man?"

Rossi leaned against one of the desks, keeping quiet, as he already knew that Hotch was going to be introducing their new team member that morning. But before Hotch could begin the announcement, Reid happened to look behind him and noticed the motorcycle helmet sitting on the normally empty desk. "Whose helmet is this?" he asked, clearly confused.

Feeling that was as good of a start as he was going to get, Hotch began his announcement. "That's what I want to talk to you about." They had known Hotch long enough to know when something was serious and so they all quieted down to hear what he had to say. "I know that we all took Prentiss's loss extremely hard and that things haven't quite been the same since she died. And Seaver has been doing an amazing job at trying to fill the role that Emily left open but we all knew that eventually someone would have to be hired to help fill the position. So I hired someone."

The look on Morgan's face was one of disbelief. "You hired someone without telling us?" He couldn't believe that Hotch would go and hire someone for the team without telling them or including them in the decision.

Rossi joined the conversation, having Hotch's back. "Of course he did, Morgan. We had jobs to do and worrying about what kind of person would have joined our team would have only distracted you. And if he had asked you guys your opinions on who to hire, can you honestly tell me you wouldn't have been biased against them because they're going to fill Emily's spot?"

Morgan grumbled an unintelligible response but the other three shared a look at said they thought Rossi was right. They didn't like it anymore than Morgan did but they knew Hotch and Rossi were right. Seaver was the first to speak among them. "So who is it?"

Hotch turned to look back at his office as he called for Koda to come out. With a deep breath, she stepped out through his office door and walked down to join everyone else, very aware of the stares she was receiving. "Before you say anything-"

"Oh my God, you're Koda McKee!" Garcia practically screamed. "I love your music!" Before asking permission, she threw her arms around the new recruit in a hug. "Just warning you, I'm probably going to fangirl everytime I see you."

Hotch watched Koda closely, observing how she reacted with the team, and didn't miss the tension visibly leaving Koda's shoulders as Garcia openly accepted the girl. He knew she was still going to run a background check, but the fact that Garcia didn't immediately reject the idea was good news.

Morgan, however, was clearly unpleased. "You hired a _pop star_ to replace Emily? What good is that going to do for us? What, did Strauss put you up to this, Hotch? Some grab for-"

Neither Hotch nor Rossi missed the smile on Koda's face quickly turn into an icy glare directed at Morgan. "Excuse me?" The tension was back in her shoulders, but she was clearly more aggressive than intimidated this time. Hotch gathered that she didn't take being insulted very well. She took a step forward, meeting Morgan's eyes with a look that made him step back slightly. "Unless I'm mistaken or unless you were watching something else, I barely said four words to you. Now tell me, Derek Morgan, where _exactly_ in those four words did you find it acceptable to judge me? What, did those four words suddenly tell you all about me? Because unless they somehow gave you my life story, then you don't have any right to judge me like that." Morgan seemed taken back by her sudden outburst. "Now I am _sorry_ that your friend died and that there's this hole on your team to fill, but it happened. But that does not mean that I'm here trying to replace her. I know better than anyone that you can't replace dead people so don't go there. And I am not just some pop star. Am I a singer? Yes, I am, and I like to think that I'm good at it. But I'm also a profiler. I may only be 24, but I've been working at this for basically my entire life. And I like to think that I'm good at that, too. So if I'm here, filling a position on your team, then it's because I am not just a pop star. I'm a genius and I'm a profiler and, yes, I am a pop star. But I would appreciate it if you never called me that again because I really hate that term."

Her rant over with and having felt she made her point loud and clear, Koda walked to her new desk and placed the files Hotch had given her on it. Looking back up at everyone, the anger replaced with a smile once more, she placed her hands on her hips. "And if you're wondering, the genius claim is legit. I went to Dartmouth. I have a PhD in Criminology and a Masters in Psychology, and I have an IQ of 170. So, to answer your second question, Hotch apparently thinks that I'll do a lot of good for your team."

While Hotch would never have encouraged Koda to blow up on Morgan like that, he also couldn't chide her for it. By the thoughtful look on Morgan's face, it was obvious she had made her point and that he would hold off on further judgment of her until he got to know her better. He would also probably never call her a pop star again, which Hotch thought was for the best. Trying to bring things back to normal, Hotch cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention once more. "Koda will not be joining us on today's case. She's going to hang back to go over some of our more recent cases to get a feel for how we do things before putting her in the middle of things. But she'll be coming with us on our next case."

Garcia looked absolutely thrilled at the idea of having Koda all to herself. "I'll be here, too, so we can get to know each other."

Koda brightened noticeably. "That sounds awesome. Can't wait."

"Now that everything is settled, we should get started on today's case," Hotch announced before turning and walking back into the room where they would be discussing the case.

Morgan followed behind Hotch as Reid stood up from his desk. He turned to Koda briefly to say "It's nice to meet you, Koda," before he went to join Hotch and Morgan.

Garcia gave another little squeal as she looked at Koda. "Did I mention that I love your music?"

"I think you did," Koda beamed a little. Their music wasn't all that well known so when she found a fan out of the blue that knew them and liked them, it always brightened her day. "Before you go, can I ask you something?"

Garcia, who had taken the first few steps in the direction everyone else had gone, stopped and backtracked. "Absolutely! What's on your mind?"

Keeping her voice at a lower volume so that Rossi, who was the only other person in the room now, couldn't overhear, Koda started to ask Garcia about the topic she had discussed with Hotch earlier. "…you're the only who is going to know about my condition, besides Hotch obviously. I just don't want everyone to baby me before I can prove my worth to the team. Please tell me that you won't tell anyone?"

Garcia had listened with rapt attention as Koda explained her pain insensitivity disorder and, once she finished her explanation, she gave her a soft smile. "Of course I'll keep it to myself. Don't worry about it, Koda." Koda felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I gotta get to the meeting now but you can hang out with me in my Batcave while they're gone on the case." With that said, Garcia gave their new team member a quick squeeze on her shoulder and then went off to join the others.

The only two left in the room then were Koda and Rossi. "It's good to see you again, Agent Rossi. I'm sure Hotch told you who I was."

"I feel incredibly old looking at you," was the first thing out of Rossi's mouth, and Koda couldn't help but laugh. "How's your family doing after all these years? Sister and a father, right?"

"You have a good memory for someone who's so old," Koda joked, feeling comfortable around the man she had met 18 years ago. "McKenzie is good. Unlike me, the whole thing didn't make her want to fight crime like it did to me. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with any of it, so she became a teacher. My father… He died. So now it's just me and Mack."

Rossi's face softened and he looked almost guilty. "I'm sorry we were never able to catch the guy."

She shrugged as if it didn't matter. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. I like to think that he got run over by a car or something and that's why he hasn't done anything since then."

"Well, that's one way to look at things." With a sigh, he turned and started heading off to meet with the others for the case. "You're gonna be great, kid."

Alone in the room now, she sat down at her desk and ran a hand through her hair. "I hope so."


End file.
